Nauru

Australian football has been played by Nauruan school children since the 1930s, when students attended secondary schools in Victoria. The game is so popular it is considered Nauru's national sport (alongside weightlifting).

The Nauru Australian Football Association has eight football clubs which have adopted the names and colours of their favourite Australian-based teams.

Around 200 senior players and a further 500 juniors play footy. Despite coming from such a small nation, Nauru's national Australian football side, the Chiefs, have experienced plenty of success, including a gold medal at the 2001 Arafura Games in Darwin.

The Chiefs finished eighth out of 11 nations in the 2002 International Cup and were a late withdrawal in 2005.

Seniors

Menaida Tigers

Panzer Saints

Blues

Ubenited Power

Boe Lions

Aces

Nauru Chiefs at IC11

Placing: 6

The highly rated Chiefs, who finished fifth in the 2008 International Cup, were looking to make a statement early, and they did.

After beating Denmark by 87 points in the first round, Nauru soon faced stiff competition in Papua New Guinea, losing their round three game by 83 points and ruling them out as a serious contender.

The Chiefs finished sixth overall ahead of Great Britain but failed to become any real threat to the competition.